Osaka January 2015 (Day 3) - Toei Uzumasa Eigamura (東映太秦映画村)

For a change, I decided to bring the family to the Toei Kyoto Studio Park theme park in Kyoto. Having visit the studio during our honeymoon about 25 years ago, we wanted to see the studio again with our children. From Osaka, we took a train to Kyoto Station and switched to the JR Sagano line for Uzumasa Station. Kyoto was covered in a heap of snow following an overnight downfall.

Uzumasa Station is located five stops from Kyoto Station. From the station, it was about 10 minutes walk to the studio along the back street of the district. See map from the Toei Studion website.

Looking across to the main station building at Uzumasa 

Poster of Toei Studio at the station

One of the train crossing on the way to the studio 

The studio is a film set and theme park, featuring a small town from the Edo Period. The park includes entire streets depicting town scenes, including a replica of the old Nihonbashi Bridge with park attendants dressed in historic costumes. In addition, the studio also features anime and Power Ranger-type characters as part of its attractions. Eigamura is open daily from 9am to 5pm (9.30am to 4pm from Dec to Feb). Admission is ¥2,200.

Side entrance to the studio

Queue line to the ticketing counter

What is a Japanese historical period theme park without the Ninja

From the side entrance, we had to make our way to the main square of the theme park. The pathway were lined with props from the Edo period. This part of the park is the Toei Studios Kyoto, a actual filming setup.

  

Some Edo era sights at the park. The park map is available at the official website.

Of course, you cannot miss the Japanese sword fighting show.

Group photograph before the show down

Moving to the sword fighting scene site

If you have younger children, there is a section dedicated to anime, the Toei Anime Museum.

  

If this is not enough, you can also see the Superhero display at Padios which is located next to the restaurant and theme park shopping complex.

Osaka January 2015 (Day 2) - Kyoto

From Fushimi Inari Shrine, we continued to Kyoto to visit the Kiyozumi-Dera.  From Kyoto Station, we purchased the bus ticket for Bus Service 100 at the Service Centre at the Bus terminal outside the station.  We got off at Gojo-zaka.  Unfortunately as it was Winter, daylight was shorten and by the time we walked up the hill to the destination, it was dark already.  Here are some of the night photographs taken with a "idiot-proof" camera. 

Hopefully, will find another opportunity to visit the temple at another occasion.

Entrance to the supposedly 10-minute walk up the hill to Kiyomizu-Dera

We took a different route and the side lanes hold interesting tea and other shops

Read that you do not need to purchase a ticket to see the vicinity of the temple if you do not intent to see the main shrine.

Before depart from Kyoto back to Osaka, we had dinner at the many restaurants in shopping mall at the Kyoto Station.

Shot of the Osaka Tower

Osaka January 2015 (Day 2) - Fushimi Inari Taisha (Fushimi Inari Shrine)

After lunch in Nara, we made our way to Kyoto for the second half of our itinerary.  But firstly, we decided to make a stopover at Inari to see the famous torii "gate" temple, otherwise known as the Fushimi Inari Taisha (Fushimi Inari Shrine).  

Stopover at one of the small station to switch to a rapid train for Inari Station

The entrance to the shrine is just across Inari Station.  As it was the New Year, the station and its surroundings were packed with a large crowd.  As always, the festival atmosphere was enhanced by the many food stalls lining the footpath to the shrine.

Looking out from exit of Inari Station - Huge Crowd

Crowd control outside the shrine

Looking across from Inari Station to the entrance of the shrine 

Straight ahead the main entrance to the shrine

As this a short stopover, we avoided the main crowd making merits at the main shrine and quickly made our way to the torii which was short walk / climb up.

The main shrine after the main entrance

The famous torii in sight

Close up of the torii

On our way out of the shrine, we decided to use the side exit to avoid the large crowd and used the opportunity to explore the other sights outside the shrine.

Small alley towards Inari Station

Shopping for tidbits to munch